RICHMOND, Va. — Deputy Chief Gerald Smith of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has been named the Richmond Police Department’s new chief, according to their mayor’s office.
WRIC reported Interim Richmond Police Chief William “Jody” Blackwell announced his resignation in an email to Richmond police officers Friday. He had been on the job for 11 days.
Blackwell has asked to return to his former position of major, the mayor’s office said. He will continue serving as interim chief until July 1 and then Smith will take over.
“Deputy Chief Gerald Smith is who Richmond needs right now – a reform-minded leader with deep experience in community policing and de-escalation,” said Mayor Stoney.
He began at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in 1991 as a community police officer and eventually rose to the role of deputy chief.
“I am grateful for Interim Chief Blackwell’s continued service to the Richmond Police Department,” said Mayor Stoney. “Since the departure of former Chief William Smith, we have been searching for a permanent chief. I’m excited for Gerald Smith, a proven change-agent, to serve Richmond in that capacity.”